momfamilychild-help

Mardi' s story

 

 

.....as you know we are supporting 'The Purple Boot Brigade' campaign to get the 'be Breast Aware' message out amongst our fellow sistas......

.....I found Mardi and her inspirational story at 'The Purple Boot Brigade' website and without a seconds hesitation she agreed to let us publish her story & photos here, saying, "Im only to happy to share my story in the hope that is is of benefit to someone else."

This is Mardi, and her story........

"...I was recently very spoilt with a pair of the most gorgeous purple boots.... they came with a very special message attached....and I wear them to work with great pride.

I was diagnosed just 12 months ago..... so last Christmas was spent VERY ANXIOUSLY awaiting surgery...results...and a prognosis. In January this year I had a mastectomy.... followed by 6 months of chemotherapy... and Im still undergoing Herceptin treatment until the mid of next year.

Throughout my huge year......I have managed to work full-time... even though it was tough to keep pushing myself at times (and yes...I did exhaust every scrap of sick and annual leave in that time ).... I was determined to continue my life as normal as possible.

This was only possible due to my amazing team at work....and my employers SA Ambulance Service....who went above and beyond to accomodate all my needs at this time.....they gave up their days off to drive me the 6 hour round trip to Adelaide each week for my chemo.... and when I had exhausted my leave they even worked some of my shifts so that I was able to be paid.
They have treated me no differently.... they have listened when I need to talk....and left me alone when I need space.... they have really been the most incredible support....I feel so lucky.

So....although purple boots are not officially part of our uniform....Im wearing them!
I get comments about my beautiful boots...each and every day.....and Im extremely proud to be a part of the purple boot brigade..... spreading the message here in my part of SA.

Im also looking forward to Christmas this year more than ever..... Im just so happy to be feeling well.... appreciating every moment..."

Many thanks Mardi for sharing such a personal journey with us. Please leave your personal messages of support for Mardi below.

I'm 'breast aware'-are you? (daily health bulletin)

well, my PURPLE BOOTS are ordered and stomping their way to me as I type! I'm excited to get them and excited about what they represent-'THE PURPLE BOOT BRIGADE,' of which I am a member, and YOU CAN BE TOO!

 

 

 

'The Purple Boot Brigade 'is a fundraising initiative of Ness Bradshaw & her Team at the Breast Cancer Foundation Of Western Australia. $30 from every pair of PURPLE BOOTS bought goes directly to Breast Cancer research, which I think is amazing. Being a marketing maven I love the whole 'purpleness' of the concept and the 'boot stompin out breast cancer' plus I have experienced my own breast cancer scares in the past, so this cause is very close to my heart......I can't even begin to imagine how these women feel as I only had a small peek into the nightmare of their world.....and I don't wish to ever be there again.

'Be Breast Aware', is the message! Are You? Their site has fantastic factual information so that you can be fully informed and in charge of your health and future wellbeing...let me ask you this.....if you won't do this for yourself, then what about for your children? Early detection of breast cancer makes successful treatment more likely.

So what can you do to be part of this great purple campaign:

1. 'BE BREAST AWARE'...take charge of your future wellbeing as a woman

2. Join for free as a supporting member at www.purpleboots.com.au

3.Buy a pair of 'purple boots form www.purpleboots.com.au

4.Go to http://www.sassy-mamas.com/ & join our 'sassypurple lipstick crew' for free

5.Grab our 'sassy be breast aware button' from my sidebar and present it to 5 women friends telling them 'why they are sassy' to raise their awareness

6. www.purpleboots.com.au also have a promotion running with a special 'Test your Breast iQ' quiz. Find out how breast aware you really are before 31st March 2009 and you could win great weekly prizes. If you live in Oz you also go into the draw for your chance to win a trip for 2 to Thaliand with $1000 spending money.

I'm BREAST AWARE! ARE YOU? Comment below to let me know......

angelina jolie lips anyone? (Daily Health Bulletin)

well, I survived another back procedure and I live to tell the tale....overly dramatic....yes, I tell myself, a little....that is until I actually step, yes, step from the hospital bed up onto the operating table in the operating room in the cardiac unit in the hospital. Then I tell myself, uh, no...this is the REAL DEAL....you're about to go under!  the whole procedure is VERY different to anything I have experienced before. However, I am reassured as I wait my turn because the patients before me who enter the same operating room, actually exit alive! yay! BREATHE as Mr K says!

FotoSource

Once I'm up on the table then the humor begins...gotta love 'surgeon humour'! they ask me everytime if  i'm 'allergic' to anything and i run thru the usual (long) list of offenders...as usual when I get to 'ammonia' they yell "right clear all ammonia out of theatre!" and we all laugh (at first i wasn't sure i should laugh-shouldn't we be using our 'operating theatre quiet voices'?).

This time one of the nurses asks 'so what does garlic do to you'?...

oh so glad you asked, I say....'well within about 20 mins of eating it I get these 'angelina jolie lips, which is attractive for about 5 mins and then they just keep swelling until they look like they'll burst!' 

all theatre staff intrigued by now and listening, so anaesthetist declares, 'garlic into the IV immediately!' and we all shriek with laughter! seriously, this doesn't happen on 'House', does it?

then I start to go under and I tell 'Kiwi surgeon' that I'm not impressed with weather and we didn't move to australia to be followed by bad NZ weather, did we??! he agrees and other doc chimes in with 'are you a Kiwi too?' 

so, in my whacked out drowsy state, I declare, 'excuse, only the best are here (meaning me and kiwiw doc), I was Miss NZ 19xx ...' !!

oh, where oh where did that come from??...that is sooo not fair, i soo never say that, EVER!!! so then, they all STOP! wait, don't put her under (or words to that affect or did i make that up??)...

...and i say, 'oh I meant Miss NZ 19XX', ...taking 10 years off the original date!!

amazing isn't it, how the brain works....even as my mind was sinking into unconsciousness, my subconscious was still trying to take 10 years off my age...why is that?...I mean there I was lying 'bare ass up' on an operating table and I was worried about my age, vanity & angelina jolie lips! go figure!

Anyone care to comment on any funny hospital experiences?

Mobile Danger (Daily Health Bulletin)

A false sense of security? Is this you?

IN a survey of 305 women by Ohio State University in the US, 42% said that "if they had their mobile (or cell), they'd go places after dark that they wouldn't normally venture to."

I say what?? C'mon women...get with the program here! Excuse my flippancy, but what are yo going to do, throw your Samsung at the baddies & hope for the best?

You realise right, that 'talking while you're walking' lowers your awareness & slows your reaction time, hence YOU ARE MORE VULNERABLE. Add the 'after dark, lone woman' factor and you've got DANGER, ladies,  D A N G  E R !

epidural steroid with epidurogram & adhesiolysis (daily health bulletin)

Hmmmm....tonight is the night before tomorrow......and tomorrow at 9am is when I will be in hospital having an epidural steroid with epidurogram and adhesiolysis. I sure as hell hope that is freaking you out even half as much as it's freaking me out.....in fact, I've keep myself so busy for the past 3 days that now I can;t even stand up because I am in so much pain with my back...but hey, you get that!

Here are the procedures, Download GCPA Procedure Facet medial branch neurotomy ,  Download GCPA Procedure Epidural , if you really want the gory details of what they are going to do to my lower back to try and relieve some of my chronic pain.....I can't go there......I think I am firmly putting a lid on any of those thoughts that try and creep out when I least expect them.....huh! I don't think so...just get back right in the pain section where you belong thanks very much...you come out to play far too much for my liking as it is....and you wonder why I don't let you out more often???

I really do prefer to play with my other friends...the wow, this could really work thoughts..... ah, yes, they are much better company to keep...so much more fun! You can play ANYTIME, in fact you have an OPEN DOOR INVITATION...don't wait to be asked...just rock on up...don't bother knocking...just stride right in...past any rude pain thoughts(in fact smack tham as hard as you can on your way thru) and make yourself right at home...closely followed by your other friends, no pain today and & there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Best you all get to know each other really well and help each other out cause you are gonna be together for a while...this is the first of 3 procedures over the next 10 weeks (my Kiwi Doc calls them interventions and Mr K calls them 'exorcisms'! (am not quite sure about either of those???)..........did I mention how scared I am?

mompaulak maybe MIA for the next few days, so two very special Australian Guest Bloggers have written some very special pieces for momfamilychild-help. call back over the next few days and be treated to fatmumslim and Sex and the 30 Something 

'double dipping'-eeewwwhh! (daily health report)

Can you guess the average number of bacteria transferred from a mouth to a bowl of dip when someone "double-dips" three to six times?

Are you astounded to know that the number is

*10,000 bacteria!    eeewwwhhh! 

Salsa, because it's a runny dip, initially picks up more bacteria than thicker dips, but its acidity makes the bacteria count decline faster.

So, keep an eye out for that 'serial double dipper' who likes to reload the chip at your next party and in particular, watch out for kids who think nothing of double dipping, fingers and all!

*from a Study by Clemson University, USA.

will anti-perspirant give me cancer? (daily health bulletin)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.S. METER

THAT'S A NEGATIVE. "This internet urban myth is extremely frustrating", says Women's Health Magazine Australia expert, Ginni Mansberg. "There's no evidence at all of any link between anti-perspirants and cancer (especially breast cancer)."

So where did all of this come from? Nasty parabens have been demonised by naysayers for a while now and I have to say that I cringe when I see them in product ingredient lists....they are in so many! If I can avoid them I do. But the experts tell us that parabens in anti-perspirants have never been linked to cancers. Sweating comes from our SWEAT GLANDS, people, not from our LYMPH GLANDS....BIG difference. These glands are not even connected. And you don't get cancer of the Sweat glands.

Who can blame you to err on the side of caution these days, but remember, it's the parabens you're getting all hot & sweaty (and stinky) about, so if you turf out your anti-perspirant because of them, best you look at what else they're lurking in, hiding in wait in your bathroom cabinet!

Infertilty Risk? (daily health bulletin)

1.39...

.....number of times your infertility risk can rise if you're a hardcore carnivore (from a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology).

Subjects who ate the most animal protein produced more insulin & the hormone IGF-1, both linked to infertilty.

Trying to make babies? Reduce red meat to one serve daily or swap it with beans, eggs or nuts.

Come back for a 'daily health bulletin'!

Suggest topics in the comment box or leave message in purple C-Box on right.

(referenced from Australian Women's Health)